district9fandomcom-20200214-history
Prawns
The prawns, aliens, outlanders, '''or ''non-humans ''of District 9 are a spacefaring race of sentient beings, with highly advanced technology and spaceship engineering. Their reasons for coming and/or colonizing on Earth are unknown so far. The non-humans are bipedal, several feet taller than humans, and have dark thick shell-like skin as well as a mass of facial tendrils. It is hypothesized that these tendrils are somehow involved in the mastication process, but it has not been proven. These aliens are also very strong. At one point in the movie, a prawn takes hold of an MNU soldier's arms, and places his foot on his chest. He kicks outward, resulting in the soldier's arms being ripped off, as well as sending him flying several yards back. In another scene, a prawn lifts and flips an overweight MNU guard upside down. He throws the guard several feet through the air, causing him to smash into the side of a shack. The name "Prawn" is a derogatory term used for the non-humans. It comes from the resemblance their faces bear to that of a local pest in Johannesburg, the Parktown Prawn, and is meant to imply that they are bottom feeders, scavenging about and living off of the waste of everybody else. In District 9, the prawns are greatly oppressed by the MNU Security Force, and generally hated and feared by the local humans as MNU makes up several stories that have slandered them. They have very few rights in District 9, all of which are closely monitored, regulated, and enforced by MNU. Society According to David Meng of Weta Workshop, the vast majority of the aliens are worker-class "drones", explaining why they were so lost and ineffectual. Christopher Johnson is one notable exception to this rule. None of this non-human social structure made it into the film; perhaps director Neill Blomkamp is saving it for a future film? Uncomfirmed by director Neill Blomkamp: In his previous film "Alive in Joburg " which inspired District 9, the aliens referred to themselves as Poleepkwa. Interested parties have contacted the director on whether or not this term can be officially applied. '''Weaponry The non-humans have a variety of extremely-powerful energy weapons. The weapons can only be activated by alien DNA, which means that no human can use them (with the sole exception of Wikus). The weapons shown in the film are mostly energy-based, but several clips prove otherwise, for example, at one point, Christopher can be seen using one that appears to handle like an assault rifle when he and Wikus stormed MNU headquarters. Wikus uses a gun in the Nigerian gang base capable of producing a shockwave blast powerful enough to blast a human through a wall at high speeds. Even a near miss can send someone flying through the air as shown in the film. Another weapon of note is a large alien mech that Wikus piloted near the end of the film. The suit appears to have a number of other alien weapon capabilities integrated into it, along with a magnetic field generator that allows it to catch enemy projectiles and launch them right back at the enemy. The most well known weapon is the ARC gun. It fires a huge charge of electricity and rapid molecular expansion of gas and fluid. In a soft biological target, an ARC gun strike can result in a catastrophic explosion of blood and gore. But even a near miss can cause superficial burns and keep an enemy subdued. Homeworld The Homeworld of the Prawns is mentioned to have 7 moons, it is also noted by Christopher to his son that it is several times bigger than Earth. Due to the fact that the Prawns can breath earths oxygen atmosphere, it is very likely that their Homeworld has very similar conditions as on earth. This would also explain why the Prawns landed on Earth instead of any other nearby planets on their route. However no hints are made in the movie where this Homeworld is exactly located or wether it is the only world inhabited by his Species. At the End of the Movie, Christopher can be seen guiding a navigational system in his craft, which shows a map of several galaxy-like structures, implying the Prawn Homeworld may be not located in the Milky Way. It is also shown that the Homeworld is located in a globular cluster. Diet Prawns, unlike humans, eat almost all of their food raw. They appear to be primarily carnivorous, as per the large amount of meat dealers in District 9. They also have a very strong liking of cat food, which has an effect on the aliens that is similar to the effect of catnip on cats. In many deals with the local human gangs, Prawns will trade their weapons and technology in exchange for cat food. When purchasing their food, the prawns are more often than not ripped off. Dealers overprice the meats and cat food, making it hard for the non-humans to get food. When buying food is not an option, they will rummage through garbage in search of anything edible. Another unusual eating habit is their enjoyment of rubber. Prawns have been seen fighting over car tires because they enjoy the taste and texture of this material (Wikus explains that chewing car tire rubber is sort of like "a big marshmallow" to them, but whether they can actually digest the rubber, or gain nutrition from it, is unclear). Reproduction Prawns reproduce asexually, meaning each individual possesses both male and female reproductive organs, and are capable of self fertilization. This makes their reproductive capabilities somewhat threatening, and has allowed their population to increase quickly, despite MNU attempts to limit the amount of offspring produced by aborting eggs and licensing young. Once an egg has been laid, it will be connected to a food source (such as a dead cow or pig) via tubes, and in this way the developing Prawn will be nourished. Parents can be extremely protective of their eggs, and MNU officers avoid aborting while the parent is present to prevent violent confrontation. It is worth noting that the presence of inter-species prostitution within District 9 indicates that Prawns are capable of intercourse (as are most hermaphroditic species of Earth, ie. snails), and may have some reproductive structures similar to humans. Physiology Prawns are bipedal sentient beings with a structure that bears a strong resemblance to arthropods. They have exoskeletons and a more insect-like build, possessing clawed mandibles, antennae, and segmented exoskeleton plating which MNU officers need armor-penetrating rounds to crack. Usually, non-humans are dark, earth-toned colors. However, some of them have bright red, yellow, or blue striped patterns across their bodies. They don't possess a human concept of modesty, but sunlight on Earth is apparently more intense (or contains a higher UV level) than they are used to, so those living in District 9 often try to protect their outer carapace with scraps of clothing, or at least bodypaint. They also possess another pair of arms which reside around the abdominal area, but their use is currently unknown and has yet to be seen. Non-humans also have brought creatures to Earth that resemble insects. The Non-Humans also have their hearts located on the opposite side compared to a human. Trivia *Non-humans look similar to the Vortigaunts of the video game Half-Life, mainly due to their brown colouration and more than 4 limbs. They have also been compared to the Mudokon from the Oddworld series of Video games. *The Prawns of District 9 are surmised by humans to be members of a soldier class or working class on their home planet. Category:Species Category:District 9